Never Leave Jorowyn Alone
by Ginsan
Summary: What Jorowyn is really up to while Endymion and the Shittenou are out fighting the Negaverse on behalf of the Silver Alliance.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own Sailor Moon. Wish I did though... Constructive criticism is always welcome. As are flames, so long as they aren't just flames to flame. Those get deleted..._

_As stated in my Author Bio. If you wish to use Jorowyn/Jordan/Phaeton in your own story, just drop me an e-mail. More than happy to let him have adventures outside my care. Probably be happier that way..._

_About the story: Since the voice of Jorowyn can't stay quiet in my head after Lynnwood has finally started working on __Silver Alliance__, I decided to give readers a unique perspective of how things are progressing behind the scenes. Especially the hijinks of Jorowyn, as he is unwisely left alone most of the time. So, sit back and enjoy the ensuing Chaos._

_Never Leave Jorowyn Alone_

_Chapter 1_

_BY: Ginsan_

Jorowyn idly fingered the small crystal in his hand. It was about four inches long, and one inch thick. It tapered to sharp points at the end, though he'd never managed to actually hurt himself with it. It glowed with a dim light from within, lighting up the facets of the emerald colored crystal as he turned it in his hand. The light reflected of other crystals in his dimly lit Laboratory as he scanned the various items.

He'd had it for years, though until this moment, he'd never had a reason to use it. His father had shoved it into his hands, before sending him to Earth. Earth didn't have any Crystech worth bothering with the crystal over. Now, though, so many possibilities were opened to him. After all, how many people had a Master Crystal, much less knew what to do with one? The Artifacts his people had spent millennia to create, were now rotting under the inept care of those who doomed them. Growing fat and even more conceited on the spoils of their greatest victory. And just look at the situation they were in now. Served them right.

Still, there were always opportunities, and that's exactly what he had planned. He was going to use this trip to Lunara to at least consolidate what remained of his Kingdom. Once more, he suppressed that mocking voice that reminded him that he could count the number of living people with Phaetonian blood on two hands, and still have an extra finger. Two, if Avais didn't recover soon.

He pushed such thoughts aside as he began to work. Dwelling on what might happen in the future wouldn't do any good for his current plans if he didn't act soon. Besides, he had a deadline. The Lunarian Teleporter would be keying in on him soon.

He smirked as he began gathering a few smaller crystals, as well as small bits of Crystech. He slipped them all, along with the Master Crystal, into a pouch which he then tucked into his clothing. Just another inoculous bulge in his filthy clothing.

He smirked again as he pulled out his flask, and took a heavy swig on the bitter alcohol it contained. He was pleased as more of it splattered onto his clothes, leaving more stains. The more people he could force to stay out of his way, the better off he would be. Zoisite was the only family he had left in the entire Universe. Even he had begun to spend less and less time around him.

He frowned as he thought it over. He supposed Sharpe and Thorne counted as family as well, but they were so damned determined to follow a duty that was now non-existent, they refused to associate with him on anything but a Royal level. Though he'd never admit it out loud, Jadeite was much like the younger brother he'd never had. Or wanted, if he thought on it too much.

Then there was Endymion. Somewhere inside, he thought of him as a brother as well. Especially after the way his family had taken him in after Phaeton's destruction, and gave sanctuary to Avais and his young protege, Gryphon, as well as Sharpe and Thorne.

With a satisfied nod of his head, he left the main part of the laboratory, turning on the Security systems. He made his way through the small complex that he called home. A name to him, nothing more. His true Home was long gone, scattered around the Solar System. After a few minutes, he was at his Teleporter, waiting silently for the Lunarians to connect.

Oh, this was going to be such _fun_ when he stepped through. He wondered how long it would take the Bitch to realize it was him, and not some Phantom from her nightmares to get revenge. How she would be wrong. He bet, even now, they were all wondering how they had been so conveniently maneuvered into the current situation.

Their 'Ruling' of the Alliance had already led to one disaster after another. It was time to put competent people on the Thrones. Ones who actually cared for their subjects, and not the best way to flaunt their power over them. He quelled the small thought that it was exactly the same thing he was perpetuating against them. A silly thought, one not worth thinking on.

He came out of his musing when the Transporter came to life, and view of the Lunara Portal room appeared inside the gate.

Time for the show to begin.

* * *

Jorowyn slipped away from the 'Welcoming Committee' as soon as he could.

A damned Ball. He bet they threw one after they got his planet destroyed as well.

He seethed in rage as he made his way through the palace. A fact that further fueled his anger, realizing that he was still able to find his way around even after so many years. Even thinking about how enjoyable the looks on all their faces had been when he'd walked through the Portal didn't alleviate it. The sooner this business was over with, the better as far as he was concerned. He had plans of his own, but they couldn't truly begin until the Negaverse and their damnable Youma were defeated.

He was drawn up suddenly, and forced out of his rage, as he suddenly realized where he was.

In his aimless wandering, he'd somehow managed to make his way to one of the oldest of the Ambassador Wings in the Palace. The ones that were reserved for visiting Phaetonian Dignitaries. He paused before the door, as he realized the whole thing had been sealed with a minor forcefield.

For a moment, he didn't know what disgusted him more. That the entire Wing had been sealed of from visitors, or that they had used such a pathetic token Shield to keep them out. With an angry gesture, he slashed the Shield with his Master Crystal, causing the whole thing to shatter into motes of energy which quickly faded away. He shoved the doors open, not bothering to close them again as he stepped inside.

For a moment, the anger he felt was soothed as he inspected the immaculate way everything was kept clean. The anger returned again, as he reminded himself, that it was simply the Lunarian way to keep things clean. Even if no one was supposed to see it.

He walked through the halls, pausing every so often to stare at a portrait or painting. To stare blankly at statues he only vaguely remembered from his youth. It wasn't until he reached the Royal Chambers, that he finally stopped, and actually looked at something with more than a cursory appraisal.

He paused for several minutes before the doors, unable to make himself open them. A torrent of memories flooded his mind, and with a strangled hiss of rage, he finally opened them, and walked inside.

Almost instantly, his attention was captured by the portrait on the wall. It was one of his Father, and Mother, and himself. His mother was sitting in a chair, and a very young Jorowyn sat in her lap, while his Father stood beside her, with a hand resting on shoulder.

He dropped to his knees before the portrait, the tears he'd been fighting back since he walked into the Wing, finally spilling down his face. He sobbed for over an hour, as feelings he hadn't even realized he'd been holding back, came flooding out all at once. Once he finally regained most of his composure, he looked back up at the portrait and simply stared for several minutes.

"Why. Why did you send me to Earth? You obviously knew something was wrong. Wasn't there some other way to handle it, than forcing me out of the way? They're all gone now you know. Other than a handful of Workman who were off planet, no one is left but those you sent to Earth. Couldn't you have saved more of us? Sent more of our people to Earth?" He paused, as began to choke over his next set of words. "Couldn't you have sent Archae with me? Why did you leave me all alone?"

Jorowyn's head drooped, as more tears poured forth. He knew he'd never get the answers he wanted, and yet. And yet he'd wanted to ask those questions so many times. But there was never anyone to ask them of. At least this way, he had a face to talk to, even if they wouldn't respond.

"Who is Archae?"

Jorowyn snapped his head up, and to the door. His sorrow was instantly replaced by his long time companion, rage.

Standing in the doorway was a slip of a girl, probably no older than the Princess. As the rage at her intrusion settled over him, he didn't even bother to take in her details, as he sprang to his feet.

"HOW DARE YOU!"

With a wave of his hand, and surge of anger, he threw a large crystal shard at her. It was crude, and ill formed, but it served it's purpose.

It slammed into one of the doors, the impact forcing it closed. The frightened girl tumbled backwards, landing painfully on her rear, letting out a yelp of pain as she landed on her tail.

Jorowyn ignored it, as he stalked to the door, this time focusing on the crystal he formed. A three foot, slightly curved blade of green crystal. He pointed it at the girl, causing her to scoot backward, until she bumped against the wall.

"Neither you, nor any other Lunarian Peasant is to _EVER_ step into this Wing again. None of you have to the right to even look at what remains of my people. Now leave, before I decide to make an example out of you."

The girl stood up, a spark of outrage filling her red eyes at being called a 'peasant'.

" I'm sorry, your 'Highness'. I wasn't aware that showing concern for other people merited insults, and physical abuse. Oh, wait, that's right. You're not Royalty any more, you're just a 'Peasant' like me. I'll leave you alone to play Prince then, since you obviously don't want any living company."

She spun on her heel, storming angrily from the Hallway.

Jorowyn watched her go, glad she hadn't seen the way he'd flinched at her insults. Fine. If these Lunarians wanted to play things like this, he'd play right back.

* * *

Jorowyn gave the room one last look over, making sure that the Guards from outside hadn't spotted him.

Satisfied, he approached the violently glowing forcefield. This particular Shield was set on kill, a vast improvement over the one that had been placed on the Phaetonian Suites. He walked over to the control console, and set the Master Crystal into a barely noticeable slot.

Instantly, a command screen popped up, and he began typing in commands. He shook his head in shame.

"And these Mercurian's honestly think such a pathetic system will keep out a real thief."

With a snort of disgust, Jorowyn shut down the Shield and retrieved his crystal. He went through the open doorway, smirking as the Shield came back up. With a few additions. He smiled as he thought about the next poor sap who tried to enter the room, thinking they just had to turn off the Shield.

All thoughts on the _improved_ security was pushed from his thoughts as he found what he was looking for. Room after room of spare Crystech parts of varying size and design. Smiling like a child in a sweets store, Jorowyn began examining the 'merchandise' available.

He slipped off the backpack he had brought along for the occasion, and began filling it with components he could never manufacture back on Earth. Already, plans for improved devices filled his head. Most notably, a device he had dreamed up shortly after his exile on Earth. Without the proper components though, he could never get it to work.

An hours worth of work later, he was satisfied with his new parts. He went back to the entrance, palming the security lock, and stepping out once the Shield dropped.

He slipped out of the room, again sneaking past the inattentive guards. Something he'd bring up later with Endy. Lazy guards made easy targets.

On his way back to the Phaetonian Wing, a young page ran up to him. The boy had already been frightened, but once he saw Jorowyn, the fear deepened.

"Si-Sir Jorowyn?"

"Yes boy. What is it. I have work to do."

"I-I have a message for you f-from Lady Sh-Sharpe. She requires your immediate re-return to Earth."

Jorowyn frowned. Sharpe would never have sent for him if it wasn't important.

"Was this message addressed to anyone else?"

"N-no my Lord. Only y-you."

"Very well." Jorowyn smirked as a thought occurred to him. "Have you ever been to Earth?"

While he was upset that he'd have to finish his new toy back on Earth, the look of shear terror on the boys face made up for it. Not wanting to keep Sharpe waiting, Jorowyn hurried for the Transporter. The boy could follow or not as he chose.


	2. Chapter 2

_Never Leave Jorowyn Alone_

_Chapter 2_

_BY: Ginsan_

Jorowyn fumed as he surveyed the area. Nearby, Sharpe did her best to try and blend into the background.

She had sent for him once the Youma had begun amassing in force. But by the time he'd finally arrived, thousands of Youma had mysteriously vanished. No traces, and no clue where they had gone. Since she was the one who had called Lord Jorowyn back, she felt responsible for letting so many Youma get away.

"My Lord, my deepest apologies. There were Youma here. It is unforgivable for me to have let them escape."

Jorowyn turned from where he was examining a suspicious patch of ground, and forced her to look into his face.

"How many Youma?"

"Eighteen thousand, seven hundred and fifty my Lord."

"You could have just said nineteen hundred even. And how many times must I tell you to stop calling me Lord. We're family. Sure as Hell don't see me calling Endymion 'Lord'."

He waved off Sharpe as she tried to respond. Instead, he went back to examining the ground. He'd found several hundred such spots already, and he was still baffled. The ground was compressed into a shallow hole, that was perfectly round. The immediate vegetation, what was left of it, was slightly singed. It suggested a large power surge. He had a suspicion of what had taken place, but without any proof, it was all conjecture at this point.

"I want Scouts posted here around the clock. If they left, they might come back. I want detailed reports of anything that even sneezes in the general direction of this area. Once that's done, get back to Camp. I have a feeling that we're about to get thrown into the thick of things, and I want our forces prepared."

"At once Lord Jorowyn."

Jorowyn winced at Sharpe's reply, and her sharp salute. With a frustrated sigh, he made his way to the Transport. He had the driver patch him into Endy on Lunara on the way. Someone was going to have to break the bad news to him. In the meantime, it was a long ride. Plenty of time to work on his toy.

* * *

Jorowyn lounged silently as he waited for Endy and the Warrior Kings to finish getting ready.

"You primping Jays are taking longer to get ready than your future wives."

Angry glares all around, as they continued strapping on their various armor. Zoisite turned to pierce him with a glare.

"You could help out a little you know. It wouldn't kill you."

Jorowyn smirked as he took a swig from his flask. Nephrite gave him a disgusted look as he adjusted his chest plate.

"I suppose it would kill you, however, to refrain from drinking for one day?"

"Probably. Why risk it?"

Jadeite finished playing with his armor, and approached Jorowyn.

"So then. Why exactly are you hanging around here anyway? Shouldn't you be back on Earth, looking after the troops?"

Jorowyn smirked, as he raised his flask to Zoisite.

"What, and miss out on my little cousin's Wedding? That would be scandalous." Malachite remained quietly standing in the corner, lost in his own thoughts. Or trying to be. "Besides, I want to see our pal Mal get hitched. If he keeps up this charade of his much longer, I might start to buy it."

Malachite turned to face him, tone disapproving as always.

"I refuse to be drawn into your childish illusions. I have more than enough on my mind than to worry about what half-baked schemes you have up your sleeves."

Jorowyn blinked at that, half convinced there might have been a joke in there somewhere.

"Come on Mal, admit it. You're just as nervous about this whole affair today as the rest of them."

Endymion finally emerged, dressed in his armor, and pinned Jorowyn with a glare.

"Yes, we're doing our part. I remind you, the Ceremony will go off without a hitch, or I will send you to join the Army's Latrine Unit."

Jorowyn waved him off, as he stood, and took a long drink from his flask.

"You'd never go through with it. We all know you could never bring yourself to rely on anyone but me to maintain Earth's Crystech."

Zoisite smirked at this cousin's retreating back.

"That's because you build half of it in your sleep, and no Mechanic in their right mind would even dream of touching it, much less trying to fix it."

"As it should be."

He raised his flask in salute, as he let himself out. Time to get a front row seat, before the Circus began.

* * *

Jorowyn crowed to himself in delight, as he waited in his seat for the entertainment to begin. A shadow from behind though, caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up, and he turned to see who was seating behind him.

"Ah, the crybaby. Who'd you threaten to get a front seat?"

Jorowyn glared at her, as he turned back around and went back to watching the soon-to-be Grooms fidget before the assembling audience. He did his best to ignore the way her tail was twitching back in forth, in clear agitation.

"I'll have you know, I'm an Invited member of the Wedding Party. Who did you piss off to get a second row seat?"

He smirked as he could hear her grinding her teeth, accompanied by a low growl. Any response she may have made, was cut off, as the Wedding began.

One by one, the Princesses, and soon to be Queens walked down the aisle. He smirked, as he watched the byplay between the couples, before Helios even began.

"Dear friends, new and old," he began, smiling slightly, his chestnut eyes warm and soft. "We are gathered here today for a very momentous event. Not only for the joining of men and women in the bonds of marriage, but also the joining of all good and free peoples in our galaxy under one banner. To fight for freedom, for life, for our very survival in this universe. In the past years I have seen many deaths," he announced softly, and Serenity could sense a very real and very great pain in him. "I have guided many souls of my brethren and friends to the hereafter, far too many. It is in _their _memory that I now raise my voice and my heart in song and in hope, that today we take the first much needed steps toward a brighter future. Filled with—not death and despair—but love and unity. For _everyone."_

Unable to sit through what he knew would be a long, boring litany, Jorowyn decided to rush things along. In his own, unique way of course.

"Oh common Heely, cut the poetic crap and get down to business. We're missing the after party."

He ignored everyone's glares, and grinned at the look on the Priest-child's face. Ah, it was just so much fun messing with Helios.

A sharp smack to the back of his head, however, pulled him from musings over future pranks. He spun around to glare at the small, and feisty Mauian girl.

"Careful with those claws Peasant. Someone might take the liberty of trimming them for you."

"What's wrong? The little Crybaby can't be happy, so you don't want anyone else to be either? Not even your cousin?"

"And who asked you to pry into my personal life? Peasant's have no business meddling in the affairs of their Betters."

"If by 'Betters', you mean drunks, then you're right. I don't want anything to do with you. When you aren't crying to yourself, you're too busy trying to make everyone as miserable as yourself. So your planet is gone. You're the last of your kind. Guess what? No one cares. Why don't you do yourself, and everyone else a favor, and go off and make yourself extinct already."

Jorowyn glared at her for a moment longer, before he turned back to the front. He was seething inside, so much so that he didn't even notice Helios purposely dragging out the Ceremony now. He may have let the little minx have the last word now, but he would make her regret it later.

As soon as the Ceremony ended, he used his new toy, and transported himself to Earth. Maybe beating around some recruits would help him think up a way to pay her back.


	3. Chapter 3

_Never Leave Jorowyn Alone_

_Chapter 3_

_BY: Ginsan_

Jorowyn frowned as he looked over the latest reports from Saturn. Things were starting off well, but not well enough. They needed these new troops as soon as possible.

He paused, to look up from the report and look over said troops. Most were fine, if a little rusty. Those would be whipped into shape relatively quickly, and sent to various locals on Earth to fight real Youma, and gain some real experience. They rest would just have to be blooded once they got to Saturn.

He was distracted by one of the spherical crystals on his desk began to blink. A new invention he'd constructed over the last few days, while waiting for the Troops to begin arriving. They were a new type of Communicator. Only effective within the atmosphere of a planet, they allowed instant communication anywhere on the planet. While not new in itself, these could be used anywhere, and their reception was vastly improved. He had future plans to create larger versions to be used for faster Interplanetary Communication.

He picked it up, and a holographic image of Thorne appeared.

"Speak."

"Lord, the last batch of recruits have arrived through the Transports. Sharpe is going over there now, to divide them up for training."

"Good. Make sure you pick a few to serve as liaison's for each unit. Preferably a low ranked Officer. I'm turning in for the night. Leave your reports with the Night Watch."

"Understood Lord. Rest well."

Jorowyn sighed as he set the crystal down. That was getting so annoying after ten years.

He set aside the last of the reports, making a note to finish them in the morning. He nodded to the Guards stationed outside his office, before making his way to his personal quarters in the Palace. The place seemed empty, without the others around, but he tried not to dwell too deeply on it. It wasn't as if he'd never been alone after.

Once he reached his rooms, he simply collapsed onto the bed, letting oblivion claim him, and his irrational thoughts.

* * *

Jorowyn was just finishing the last of the current status reports, when Sharpe entered his office.

"My Prince."

He cringed, but didn't make an issue of it. It was still too damned early.

"Yah?"

He took a swig from his flask, knowing she wouldn't be here without a good reason.

"There are a few . . . unexpected additions to the recruits that were sent to us, my Lord,"

Jorowyn knew there was more to it, by the way she had said it. There was trouble attached to these 'recruits'. A sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him it wasn't good news.

"Define 'unexpected.'"

"Jorowyn! Get your lazy ass out here! Just what in the hell do you call yourself doing in there anyway?!"

Why did he always have to be right?

* * *

Jorowyn stood before the four 'recruits' for several minutes, sizing them up. He could tell by their fidgeting and scowls, that none of them had expected to be singled out. A pity, since they had to have known he was the one left behind to train all the troops. Chances were, they needed more training than their troops anyway, or they'd just get themselves killed. The blame would end up on him if that happened. It always did.

Amara finally had enough of they was Jorowyn was scrutinizing them all.

"Enough with the posturing already. Why the Hell did you pull us away from our troops?"

Jorowyn shrugged, as he switched from inspecting them, to their equipment.

"Because I felt like it. A whim if you will. And you had all better learn now, that I have a lot of whims, and I expect each of you to follow them. I don't have time to babysit, and coddle your egos. You're here to learn real combat tactics, and what it really means to have your life on the line. Not to mention, showing you how to fight large numbers of Youma, without getting yourselves killed."

"And just why do we have to listen to you? You don't even have a rank anymore."

Jorowyn turned to face her, and ever so slowly, gave her his most demonic smile yet.

"Ah, but you see. This is Earth. King Endymion is in charge here. He's now also in charge of the Silver Alliance. I work for him. I'm in charge of training _all _recruits. You volunteered to be recruits. Therefore, I'm in charge of you. Simple, no?" He spun around, and grabbed a practice sword from a nearby weapon's rack.. "Now, since you seem so eager to prove me wrong though, then let's settle this with a spar, shall we? I'll even let you use your real swords."

Jorowyn smirked as Amara took the bait, drawing her swords. Jorowyn turned to one of the nearby guards, who was starting to get rather nervous.

"Take note, we're both agreeing to this. I take full responsibility if something goes wrong."

The guard nervously nodded his head, as Jorowyn crouched down into a fighting stance, the practice sword at the ready.

"Please, your _Royal_ highness. Don't hold back on my account. I do want this to be fair."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of holding back." She slowly started to circle him, looking for a good opening to attack. "It's time someone knocked some manners back into you."

Jorowyn remained silent as he analyzed her in turn. So far, the other Monarchs, had remained mostly silent. Likely waiting to see how things would play out between him and Amara. Good. They were about to a close up look at exactly what it had taken for him to survive since they abandoned him here, ten years ago.

He let his sword drift a few inches to the right, leaving an obvious opening. He wasn't surprised, when Amara fell for it, and dashed in to strike with her swords. He tumbled toward her, passing dangerously close to her blades in the process. In one fluid movement, he jabbed the butt of his practice sword into her abdomen, and then rolled sideways to wait for her to recover.

"So, Amara. Let's make this interesting."

Amara glared at him as she recovered from the hit. She wouldn't be falling for a ploy like that again, he was fairly sure. At least not an obvious opening like that.

"Define 'interesting'."

"If you win, all four of you can go train with your troops without my meddling."

"And if you win?"

"Then you all agree to train my way, and _you_ have to wear a dress when not at drills."

Amara snarled as she started circling him again. Like Hell she'd ever wear a dress. Then again, it was a change to be rid of the arrogant bastard.

"Done."

Jorowyn smirked again as he started baiting her by reaching out and tapping her swords with his crude blade. He kept it up for several minutes, as the others began muttering to themselves, speculating on who would actually emerge the victor. He ignored it for now, keeping a close watch on Amara as he continued to bait her, waiting for that one chance that he needed.

"What color would look best on you. Maybe a frilly, purple dress, with lace trim? No, no, I think sugar pink with plenty or ribbons would work. Maybe even a fancy ribbon in your hair? Oh, that's right, you keep hacking it off, trying to fake being a boy."

She growled as she smacked his word away, probably using a little too much force. Not that she cared at the moment. All she wanted to do was make him eat dirt. Maybe a few inches of her blade. He did say he'd take full responsibility.

"So tell me. When I win, who do you get to boss around then? The local village idiot perhaps? I suppose not, what with you being the town drunk and all."

Jorowyn's smirk slowly melted into a blank mask, as he baited her swords one last time. He used his crouched down position to launch himself at her as soon as the blades touched. She braced herself for the impact, setting her legs to take the brunt of the force. The blow never came. Instead, Jorowyn had ducked between her legs. Before she could recover, he spun, and dug the pommel into her kidney, grinning in satisfaction as she hissed in pain as he ground it in deep.

He rolled away, as she spun around with her swords, barely missing taking his head off. He jumped back to his feet, and sidestepped as she lunged for him, blades first. He stayed moving for several minutes, avoiding or blocking her attacks. He certainly had her focus now. He hissed, as a quick block resulted in her blade scoring a shallow cut across his shoulder. Time to finish this before she had a chance to get carried away.

The next time he parried her, he ducked under the blades. From his crouch, he sweeped her feet out from under her. As soon as she was down, he leaped on her, pinning her arms with his knees, and kissing her neck with his blade.

"I do believe I win."

He stared down at her until she relented, then jumped up, and out of the way. He replaced his practice blade as she got herself up.

"You can go change into your dress after practice is over. Now that that's out of the way, let's say we get down to some real practice."

Jorowyn smirked as pulled out his flask, and too an especially long pull, before forming one of his crystal swords.

"Now, let's start with the basics."


	4. Chapter 4

_Never Leave Jorowyn Alone_

_Chapter 4_

_BY: Ginsan_

Jorowyn frowned as he read through more reports from Pluto. While he adamantly refused to take over the planet, that didn't mean he was going to leave it defenseless. Sharpe, Thorne, and several companies of troops had been left behind to shore things up. The two of them knew just enough about Crystech systems to send him regular reports on the reconstruction, as a few 'loaned' Mercurian mechanics worked on the Planetary Shields, and the Defense Grid. From this latest batch, it looked like he was going to have to go personally and fix some problems. While he was at it, he might as well take a quick tour of each planet, and inspect their systems.

While he detested his Cousin, he wasn't going to doom her people to the same fate as his own. Even if it was very tempting. Besides, there was just too much risk of the Negaverse getting the Time Gate.

He was too busy reading to pay attention to where he was going. He was halfway across the Receiving Room, when he collided with someone. His reports went flying as he stumbled backwards, and what looked to be a pile of clothing in a basket was scattered as well.

He looked down as the person bounced off him, and landed several feet away. On her tail.

"What is it with you woman? You do realize this would be considered stalking on most planets?"

Diana looked up at Jorowyn, retort at the ready, before she noticed the lecherous look he was giving her. It was a moment before she realized he was looking up her skirt, which was currently showing off much more than she wanted.

Blushing furiously, Diana got to her feet and glared at Jorowyn.

"I hoped you enjoyed what you saw, you perverted bastard. I doubt very seriously, you'll ever get a view like that again. At least while a girl is conscious."

Jorowyn glared right back, though that faint smirk at the corner of his mouth ruined the look slightly, and kept Diana blushing.

"And just who would enjoy looking at a weedy little girl like you anyway? I suppose your parents could always marry off a disgrace like you to some old Noble with a fetish for little girls."

Diana growled, as she started shoving Jorowyn backwards, poking him in the chest.

"Let's get something straight here Crybaby. I'm _Queen_ Serenity's personal hand maiden, and her best friend. The best you can hope for, is that someone will continue taking pity on you, and give you more handouts. Personally, I don't know how anyone has been able to stand you for this long."

Jorowyn smacked her hands away, before bending over to start gathering up his reports.

"At least I serve a real purpose around here. I don't see you fighting Youma. I don't see you willing to risk your life to defeat creatures so vile, the mere sight is enough to give most people nightmares for the rest of their lives. I bet the hardest you've ever worked is figuring out which brush to use on the Queen's hair."

"How dare you! I'll have you know, I do more than brush her hair. I make sure her wardrobe is always ready, as well as making sure she's on time for appointments."

"No wonder your a stick. With such a busy schedule it's no surprise you look like a underfed stray."

"STRAY!"

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?"

Diana stopped herself from attacking Jorowyn, and spun as he did to face Endymion, standing on an upper railing of the stairs. She blushed in embarrassment, as she realized that their arguing had drawn a crowd. It looked like half the Palace staff had shown up to watch the show.

"My Apologies Your Highness."

"Should I even bother asking why you two were fighting this time?"

"A minor accident My Lord. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going."

She saw him sigh, then shake his head.

"I'd ask Jorowyn for his version, but it's too late for that. You will remember to refrain from these public outbursts. If you have an issue with Jorowyn, I suggest you handle it a little less publicly next time."

Diana blushed in embarrassment again, before bowing. She turned to Jorowyn to take him somewhere else to settle this, but met only empty air. She blinked, before looking down. His papers were gone, and somehow, all the clothing she had dropped had been folded back up and placed neatly in the basket.

* * *

Jorowyn angrily filed away the last of the days reports. Trust Endy to spoil his fun. He frowned, as he thought the encounter over. Before he had seen who it was, he wasn't even going to make a scene. What was it about that slip of a feline that drove him so?

He shoved the thoughts aside as he hurriedly signed some paperwork concerning troop deployments. He also had a Supply request for Mercury, to restock some badly needed components. He'd been working on it on and off, since before Endymion had returned to the Palace. He doubted he'd have a better time to ask for the parts. Zoisite, or his new bride could easily get the order filled.

Thinking of Zoisite got him to thinking about a visit. In turn, it reminded him of his earlier idea of inspecting the Crystech of each of the planets.

"Hmm. Perhaps I should take the request first. I can clarify any trouble with it. I can start there, and work out toward Pluto, then swing back to Mercury and pick up what I need before coming back here. Shouldn't be gone more than a week."

He shifted gears, leaving his office, and going to his private quarters. He'd need some basic supplies. He made a mental list as he began packing. Work clothes. Tools. He paused. He could go back to the Lab, but the work crews should have any tools he might need. Nodding, he grabbed various Power crystals, just to have them handy. Double checking what he had, he slipped in an extra flask of his favorite alcohol, just in case.

Satisfied, he grabbed the pack and went back to his Office to write a note for Endymion. He wasn't actually needed on planet at the moment, Earth's defenses having been shored up while he was training the troops. And, if an emergency came up, he could always use his new toy to get back in a hurry.

He opened the door, and stopped in surprise, as he was suddenly face to face with Diana.

"See, now I know you're stalking me. What the Hell is your infatuation with me anyway?"

Diana's tail twitched behind her. Obviously, civility wasn't going to work here.

"I could ask the same thing about you. What is it about me that you hate so much, that you go out of your way to start fights?"

Jorowyn dropped his pack in a chair, before closing the door behind himself. He tried to walk past her to the desk, but she moved to block him. He glared down at her.

"Haven't you ever heard the expression, curiosity killed the cat?"

She returned his glare, stepping closer, putting her hands on her hips.

"And just what the Hell is that supposed to mean? You wouldn't dare lay a hand on me."

He glared down at her, a smirk slowly lifting the corner of his mouth.

"I'd be careful if I were you. You are on Earth after all. Any number of 'mishaps' could happen to you. I do believe a Youma managed to sneak into the kitchens just last week."

She glared up at him, now standing so close, it was impossible to ignore the cloying stench of his breath. And yet, some part of her it found it exciting. That same part urged her to egg him on, and find out just how far she could push him.

"Alright, I dare you. If you're so big and bad, then prove it. Show me- MRHP!"

She was cut off as he grabbed her roughly, forcefully covering her mouth with his. Caught off guard, Diana was helpless as he shoved her back and against the desk. Jorowyn picked her up effortlessly then by the hold he still had on her slender hips, and then set her somewhat roughly on the desk, maintaining both his grip on her and the deep kiss he was forcing on her.

Senses overwhelmed by the situation, Diana instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck. As soon as her mind finally caught up, and realized what was going on, something inside of herself simply snapped. As if some long-dormant instinct suddenly woke up and then roared. All at once, she was leaning into the kiss, wrapping her legs around him as well, trying to get as close as she possibly could, driven by a need to leave her mark on him somehow, smother him in her scent. So he'd never be able to forget her.

Somewhere inside his head, Jorowyn was absolutely sure he had finally lost it. This was it. He'd finally snapped. Yet that voice was drowned out completely and forgotten as Diana suddenly responded favorably to him, her slender—yet still long and shapely enough—legs curling around his waist and locking at the ankle. And then when she suddenly started purring, he was well and truly lost.

* * *

_Authors Note: This part removed due to FFNet's policies. Please send an e-mail if you wish to view it._

_

* * *

_

It took a moment for him to recover enough of his wits to breathe properly, let alone think. When he did, Jorowyn's whole body stiffened with shock. _Sweet Stars in heaven, what have I done?_

Not wanting to be around when she recovered, Jorowyn hurriedly got off Diana and the desk. He grabbed his pants, holding them in place as he grabbed his pack and fled from the room.

His thoughts were going into overtime as the implications of the whole matter began to sink in. He cursed as he nearly tripped over his pants. He paused just long enough to sling his pack over his shoulder, before looking down and trying to fix his pants. When he did, he spotted the barely noticeable crimson stains that were slowly starting to dry.

Hell. She was a virgin.

Suddenly fearing the consequences, Jorowyn fled toward the Teleporter a growing need to be anywhere but the Palace urging his steps.

The entire way there, and even as he knocked the technician out of the way to use the machine himself, only two thoughts kept running through his head. One, if her parents or Serenity ever found out, he was a dead man. Two, if the Kings ever found out, he would never live it down.

Why the Hell couldn't he have just lucked out, and been on Phaeton when it exploded.

* * *

Diana slowly came to, as the euphoric pleasure quickly gave way to pain. It quickly brought her back to her senses, and caused her to think back to the last few minutes.

Did she really just do what she think she did?

A stab of pain as she tried to sit up convinced her that she had.

The knowledge that Jorowyn wasn't even around anymore, and had in fact left her in this condition hurt her on a level she hadn't known before.

Sobbing softly to herself, she fixed her clothes as best she could, and fled the room herself. Confused, hurt, and angry. And yet, strangely, deep down she wanted to do it again. A sense of satisfaction, and something deeper she couldn't identify.

She ran as fast as she could back to her rooms, ignoring the occasional stares she received along the way. Once there, she locked herself in, before drawing herself a bath.

Her thoughts, and emotions a riotous knot. She felt so twisted up, she didn't even know where to begin to unravel it all.

* * *

Endymion came into Jorowyn's office several hours later. Things had gotten far to quiet around the Palace since the fight in the Reception Hall earlier. It was never a good sign when Jorowyn went quiet.

He looked around, noticing the slightly disheveled desk. While Jorowyn wasn't exactly a neat freak, it wasn't like him to leave his office a mess.

Frowning, he checked his personal quarters before going to the Transporter Room. Perhaps he had gone to his secret laboratory.

He shuddered at the thought.

His father had been forced to banish all of Jorowyn's experiments from the Palace, after he finally blew up a full third of the Guest Wing. Since then, Jorowyn had secretly built his own personal laboratory, where the only person liable to be injured, was Jorowyn himself. No one but Jorowyn knew where it was, only that it was far, far away from any inhabited areas.

He came around the corner, and the two guards on duty snapped to attention.

"Afternoon Your Highness."

"At ease. Did Jorowyn use the transporter?"

"Yes Sir. He left for Mercury two hours ago."

"Did he say anything?"

"No Sir. Though he did seem to be in a hurry."

"And his clothes were a mess. More so than usual."

Endymion frowned. Usually Jorowyn left a message before he went anywhere. Still, at least he knew where he was. He didn't really need Jorowyn, so much as to ask him what his problem with Diana was. It could wait until he returned he supposed. If something came up, he could always send Zoisite a message to send Jorowyn back.


	5. Chapter 5

_Author's note: Now that Lynnwood has finally nuked that writer's block of hers, I can get back to writing for everyone's favorite, grumpy Phaetonian. Everyone make sure to go by and read the story about all the other people Jorowyn allows to share __precious__ story time with. Oh, and don't forget to vote for your favorite couple while you're on Lynnwood's Author page, while you're looking for Silver Alliance._

_Never Leave Jorowyn Alone_

_Chapter 5_

_BY: Ginsan_

After he stepped off the Teleporter, Jorowyn had to brace himself against the cold with an especially long drought from his flask. And took the time to finally fix his damned pants.

He glared at a guard that started to approach, spouting some nonsense about security protocols and identification.

"Look you brainless, inbred, monosyllabic tool. You see this?" He pulled out his Master Crystal, and shoved it in the guards face. "THIS, is all the identification I need."

He slashed it through the air, glaring at the guard the whole time. All the lights and Crystech within twenty feet went out. He let the guard sweat for a few minutes, before slashing the Crystal again, turning everything back on.

"Now, be a good little soldier boy, and lead me to my cousin's office." He paused to grin, as a juicy tidbit of information he gleamed from Diana popped into his thoughts. "I have information he's just going to love."

* * *

Jorowyn glared at the slow moving Techs while he waited for them to key up Venus. Not only had he found a pair of Techs who actually stood up to his bullying, but they were actually enjoying making him wait. If he wasn't busy stewing in his own thoughts, he might have been impressed.

How in the multiple Hells, had the Queen snuck in like that? He should have at least sensed her as she entered the office. He hadn't even seen her until after he'd made his jab at his cousin. Hells, it was almost like the woman was some sort of cat...

He muffled a curse under his breath, as his thoughts took off racing in directions he wasn't comfortable dealing with at the moment.

It was with profound relief that the Techs finally announced that the Teleporter was ready. He banished his current train of thought as he neared the glowing portal, replacing it with various ideas for teasing the Father-to-be.

* * *

Jorowyn was grateful for the heat on Venus after the frigid chill of Mercury. Then again, somethings here were just as cold. He tried not to stare too hard as Alexandrite and Psyche had yet another verbal sparring match.

If what the emotions he was picking up off them hadn't been so utter entertaining, he'd probably have driven them both off by now, so he could finish examining the Palace's Crystech in peace. As it was, he felt more than entitled to mooch off of the new King and Queen of Venus as these delays continued to pile up.

You just couldn't pay for entertainment of this caliber.

"Shouldn't you be working."

Jorowyn looked down at the ground, peering quizzically at how large his shadow had suddenly become.

"Oh dear, I think this obsessive heat has finally gotten to my alcohol choked brain. I think my shadow's talking to me."

"Jorowyn....."

He spun around, and batted his eyelashes at a glowering Malachite.

"Aww, but Daddy, I wanted to watch GRANDMA AND GRANDPA fighting again!"

The last comment was met with a swipe from Malachite which he dodged, and a thrown rock by Psyche that he wasn't as successful with.

"I take time out of my oh so busy schedule to come here, out of the goodness of my mysteriously still beating heart to upgrade your Planetary Defense System, and this is the thanks I get?"

"I could always let Zaire play with you, since you seem to be in such a playful mood."

Jorowyn actually blanched at the mention of the over-sized cat, and glanced around nervously.

"Now, now, Mal. Let's not do anything hasty. Truthfully, I'm pretty much done here. I just need to send my report to Zoisite, and the crew that bring the parts can take care of the rest. Now, since I'm so obviously not welcome around here anymore, I have to go see a man about a Shrew."

"Jorowyn..."

"Relax, I'll be perfectly behaved on Mars. After all, Jadeite isn't a grumpy sourpuss."

Jorowyn took off for the Teleporter, without giving any of them a chance to respond. He took the long way just to make sure Mal didn't come after him. After all, since Mal didn't have a sense of humor, that comment about Zaire was a rather real threat. Maybe it was the bird in him, but a big cat like Zaire always made him feel uncomfortable.

He squashed the little voice in the back of his head that tried to get him thinking about a different breed of 'big cat', and the pleasures to be found playing with one.

"Curse all cats to a deep, watery Hell."

"Lord Jorowyn, is something the matter?"

He stopped and blinked, at a group of servants that had been passing him as he tried to kill that though, and accompanying images.

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? There's nothing we can do for you?"

Several of the girls battered their eyes at him in what he assumed was a flirtatious nature. He seemed to recall some of the serving girls back on Earth trying to trick with him a time or two, attempting to snare themselves a Prince. Dethroned as he might be, apparently he was still considered a prize.

"I'm quite sure. Now, I'm sure you all have duties to be attending to, so get bout them."

He stormed off, putting as much distance between them and himself as he could. It wasn't until several corridors later, that he realized what had just happened.

At least two of them had tried to use their pheromones on him. Thinking on it, quite a few servants had tried that trick since he'd arrived a few days ago. And nothing had happened.

Venusians had been using their pheromones on him, and he hadn't even had so much as a damned twitch.

A disturbing series of thoughts followed him all the way to the Teleporter and well on his way to Mars.


	6. Chapter 6

_Never Leave Jorowyn Alone_

_Chapter 6_

_BY: Ginsan_

Jorowyn had done his best since arriving on Mars to to forget about that bizarre event back on Venus. Course, with the entertainment being provided by Jadeite and his charming wife, it wasn't hard. OK, so even he had to admit 'charming' was a stretch.

By the end of the third day, he'd had enough. Luckily, he'd managed to finish his work, and could get on to his side trip.

First, he had to find his hosts. Preferably, Jadeite without Raye.

When he finally tracked him down, Jadeite wasn't alone, but at least it wasn't the temperamental Queen. He was tired of ducking potted plants. And Romulus, at least, didn't insist on calling him by long dead titles.

"Jade, I'm done. Going off to take care of personal business before I take off for Jupiter."

"Wait, what?"

Jade and Romulus both stared, as Jorowyn spun around on his heel, and headed back down the hall, a pickax and a shovel on one shoulder, and the ugliest, dirtiest hat either of them had ever seen on his head.

"Jorowyn, where are you going?"

"The desert."

They exchanged worried looks, but Jorowyn had already vanished down another corridor when they looked back.

"Zoisite is going to kill me..."

* * *

He came back just before noon the next day, much to the relief of Jadeite, who probably hadn't needed the stress on top of dealing with his wife. Course, he was also gone again as soon as the sun set.

It was almost four fulls days of near back breaking work, but Jorowyn finally found what he was looking for. In the process, he'd also found an underground spring. He debated telling Jade and Romulus when he got back.

Meanwhile, he continued working around the gushing water to extract the gems he'd come so far out into the desert to find. Similar to diamonds, these gems were also carbon based, but had a far different chemical composition.

The Martians harvested them all the time, but they were usually exposed to light relatively quickly. Based on some of his father's notes he had read shortly before being stranded on Earth, his family had developed a process for harvesting and cutting them in darkness. The end result was called a Sunstone, and could store massive amounts of sunlight. Or energy.

He managed to harvest quite a haul, before the sun rose, ruining the rest of the stones.

"These will do for now."

* * *

Jorowyn hijacked the Teleporter as soon as he got back, kicking out all the techs. He didn't let any of them back in until he had already Teleported to his workshop and back, erasing the coordinates from their computers and putting an encrypted lock in the system to keep anyone from stumbling across the signal. It would also transfer from this system to the other Teleporters from now on, eventually installing itself deep inside the programing of every Teleporter system in the Kingdom.

Endymion and the others had the coordinates, but none of them would ever use them without permission.

Less likely to get blown up that way.

Once he let the frazzled techs back in, he went to track down Jade.

"I'm off to Mars. Good luck taming your shrew. Before I go, I have a present for you. Romulus should be able to tell you what it is."

He handed over a data crystal with the location of the spring and gem deposit he'd found, before taking the Teleporter on to Jupiter.

He really did wish Jade luck. He's need it.

* * *

"OK, I've had enough of you mentally challenged brutes. I've already brought nine of you down in less than three moves. You idiots want to be losers ten and eleven, be my guests. Stand in line, this will be quick."

Jorowyn glared at the two latest morons who had interrupted his work. While he would be done in a few more hours, these stupid challenges had made two days worth of work drag out to almost a week, and he was fed up with it.

The damn Jovian s needed to grow some thicker skins if they could be insulted bye a few racial slurs and back handed comments about their family trees.

The first of the challenger stood grinning down at him, while his friend stood off to the side, thinking their larger friend would be enough to take him down a peg.

Idiots.

"You're move dung brain."

He easily dodged the massive fist that swung towards his head. He stepped to the right as the punch went by, leaving the Jovian's massive back exposed. He lashed out with his elbow and foot at the same time. A savage kick to the knee was followed by his elbow striking a nerve cluster on the lower back, both blows dropping the fighter, leaving him breathless and in a great amount of pain.

He turned to look at his friend.

"You have 3 seconds to withdrawal your challenges before I do progressively worse."

To give him credit, he did pause to think about it, before rushing at Jorowyn.

Jorowyn sighed, before jumping over the charging Jovian, kicking out just as he passed. The force of the blow combined with his charge sent the Jovian crashing head first into the wall, dazing him.

Before either of them could recover, Jordan landed on the floor, and grabbed both of them by one hand. He wrenched their wrists painfully to the side, then dug his thumbs into another set of pressure points.

"Both of you yield, or I snap your wrists."

He emphasized his words by twisting their wrists slightly.

They held out for a few seconds, but both caved when we twisted again, and they could feel the bones straining.

"Now, get out of here, so I can finish my work. The sooner I get it down,t he sooner I can get out of here."

"But, what about your Challenge Win?"

Bah. What did he need with with favors from eleven brutes. All they were good for were menial labor or fighting. And since there wasn't any major fighting going on, all that left was menial labor. A thought struck him.

"You and the other Challenge Losers meet me at the Teleport Chamber tomorrow at sunrise. I have some work you can all help with. Dress for Io."

* * *

The next day found Jorowyn and his 'volunteers' trekking through a remote section of Io.

He'd explained what they were looking for, then had them all split up. First person to find it was to send a message to everyone else through the communicators he'd passed out.

It took most of the day, but eventually, the one called Geist found what Jorowyn was after.

Everyone else arrived while Jorowyn examined the collapsed mineshaft. He crumbled a few nearby rocks, examining the silvery flakes that were revealed.

"Good job, this looks like the right place. I'm going back to Jupiter. I'll have an excavation team sent here within a few days. Once they get here, you're all free to head home, your debt paid in full."

Jorowyn grinned at the handful of flakes, while the others started unpacking.

Oh yes, this was turning into quite the profitable trip. And best of all, he hadn't thought of any silver haired cats since Mars.

Damn.


	7. Chapter 7

_Never Leave Jorowyn Alone_

_Chapter 7_

_BY: Ginsan_

He contemplated trashing the lab, but thought better of it. Since he was the only one who regularly came here, he'd be the one who would have to clean and repair it. With no outlet for his anger, he was forced to bottle it for latter.

* * *

After leaving Jupiter, he'd gone on to Saturn. Things there had been pleasant enough. Ignoring the initial awkward meeting with Hotaru of course. He had found himself surprised, when the young Queen had insisted on accompanying him personally during his inspection. It had taken him a while to realize, that the request probably come from being unfamiliar with her own systems. Considering her age, it wouldn't have been impossible that her Parent's hadn't thought to educate the girl in their use.

Though he would never admit it, he had actually found the time spent with the young Queen quite enjoyable. She hadn't tried to talk politics, she hadn't tried to weasel 'special' upgrades out of him, and she hadn't tried to bring up 'Old Times'. The fact that she had been four years old when his planet had been destroyed probably helped with that last one.

When it was time to go, he'd actually regretted it, wanting to spend more time with the lonely girl. He really, really should have.

Neptune had been a logistical nightmare, having to travel from one island to another, and even under some of them. By the time he'd left, he was cleaner than he'd ever been in the last ten years. And somehow, it had become a game to see which of his guides could get the closest to drowning him without him being able to actually prove it.

As for Uranus...

He was never stepping foot on Uranus again. Ever. He had thought the constant 'Challenges' on Jupiter had been bad. At least everything he'd done on Jupiter hadn't been watched over by a bunch of paranoid Amazons. Half the time he wasn't even sure if they were trying to catch him in an 'obvious' ploy to sabotage their Crystech, of if they were trying to proposition him. The snickers from Amara when she happened to overhear them during her inspections only cemented his certainty that sticking around this place for any period of time would be bad for his health. And he could think of at least a half dozen other methods of suicide that wouldn't be as tortuous and humiliating.

Then there was Pluto. If he ever found out who is was that reminded the entire remaining populous of the planet that he was Royal Blood, he was going to kill him. Slowly, and as painfully as possible. The systems were in bad enough shape, that he was going to have to send addition work crews. In between work sites, at least a dozen locals would show up, pleading with him to take the Throne. The icing on the cake had been when someone had sent a injured little orphan girl to do their dirty work.

He'd left a few hours after that, Teleporting straight here to the Lab. He should be heading back to the Palace to check in, but fear of what his slow boiling rage might make him say or do, meant he was most likely spending the night here at the lab.

At least that way, he could avoid running into Diana for a little while longer, and having to deal with what had happened in his office a little over two weeks ago.

* * *

So far, so good. He'd managed to make it from the Teleporter to his wing of the palace without spotting so much as the tip of a silver tail. Just a few more corridors and he'd be safe.

He carefully peeked around the corner, before hurrying along. Some internal voice was laughing at him, skulking around like some petulant child trying avoid being caught after stealing a sweet from the kitchens. Oh, how he loathed that voice.

He looked around another corner, noticing the increase in palace servants.

"Great, so much for sneaking in in the middle of the night."

"And why would you need to sneak around? Afraid you might be in trouble for something you arrogant jackass?"

Jorowyn flinched, before slowly turning his head to find a rather ticked off Diana glaring at him.

"Well, this certainly is awkward."

"I can't imagine why. It's not like you fucked me, then ran away to hide for two weeks without even trying to talk to me about it. Oh wait...."

He flinched again, before looking away.

"I, I deserved that." He looked back towards the now empty corridor, then back at her. "I doubt you want to have this conversation out here. Let's take this to my office."

He missed the faint blush that creped into her cheeks as he went around the corner.

A few minutes later, and they were inside his office. He let her in first, forcing himself to hold back a groan as he caught a faint whiff of her scent. He closed the door after making sure no one had seen them. He then hurried over to his liquor cabinet, in dire need of something a little stronger than his normal brew to settle his nerves.

He grabbed a bottle of Black Eclipse, not even bothering with a glass. He took a swig directly from the bottle, doing his best to not look at her.

"What the Hell are you doing now?"

"Calming my nerves, so I can at least try to be civil. I know it's a stretch, but it's been a Hell of a week."

"Fine, not like one more drink will help you anyway. But why the Hell are you pouring a glass of Venusian Flower Ale?"

Jorowyn looked from her down to the bottle he was pouring from.

"Where the Hell did I even get this fru fru crap? I don't even drink it." He paused for a moment, then looked back at her. "But you do. Don't you."

She stared at him for a moment, confused, then at the glass.

"Sometimes. Especially when my nerves are frazzled. Like now."

Jorowyn could hear that little voice in the back of his head laughing again, as he slowly put some things together in his mind. He put the bottle of Ale away, then handed the glass to Diana, before going over to his desk and sitting down. He had a feeling about what was going on, and started praying to whatever Deities might still see him in a positive light, that it wasn't what he thought.

"I wasn't sure how to handle what happened, and I hurt you. I'm sorry for that."

Diana sputtered, spilling some of the drink on herself.

"Did you, did you just apologize to me? As if that means anything coming from you."

Jorowyn glared at her before taking another swig.

"Even I have to admit how badly I screwed this up. The way I treated you was wrong, and there's no excuse that could ever make amends for it.

'That's one way to put it. You left. You didn't say anything to me. You ran away and left me alone. Do you have any idea how that feels? To be used like that, and then abandoned? What was it, another one of your insults for something else you think I've done to you?"

Jorowyn couldn't stand looking at the hurt expression on her face and the tears that had started, instead turning away and taking another swig of the bitter Eclipse. Hell, if he was really truthful with himself right now, he couldn't even stand himself. Years of acting like a jerk to keep people at a distance, and the one time he hadn't meant it, he'd caused this fuck up.

"Leaving like that was a mistake. I've done my best to make sure I never get close to anyone. It's worked perfectly for me for the last ten years. Then you came along. What happened scared me. In that moment, I suddenly cared for you more than anyone else I've ever known. I panicked. I'm not proud of it. Yes, I could have handled it better."

"You got scared. Poor you. I'm the one you left half clothed sprawled across your desk, where any servant could have come along seen me. Do you have any idea what sort of scandal that would have started?"

"I can imagine. I've been involved in my fair share of them. In this though, I certainly outdid myself." He took another swig, placing the nearly empty bottle on the desk. "Think about it. If anyone had found out, it would be me against you. You have your family, your associated with the Lunarian Royal family. Hell, you're the personal servant to the damn Queen. Me? I'm the eternal screw up. I'm the punchline of most of the jokes I heard between Mercury and Pluto. You said it yourself back on the Moon. I'm a pity case. I don't even know why Endy's family has let me stay this long." He stared at the bottle a moment, before grabbing it, and chugging down the last of it. "You have no idea how many times I've thought about doing exactly what you suggested on the Moon."

He slung the bottle into a corner, faintly annoyed that it didn't shatter. The dull throbbing in his head still wasn't enough to drown out that little voice. Nothing ever drowned out that voice. He slumped down onto the desk, resting his head on his arms, willing it to just shut up for once.

He was startled, when he was suddenly embraced from behind, and Diana rested her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not saying I forgive you, but you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. Yah, you're a screw up. Hard to deny that part. But you don't have to be. You're a screw up because you let yourself be one. Not everyone hates you you know. Some of us just mildly dislike you."


	8. Chapter 8

_Never Leave Jorowyn Alone_

_Chapter 8_

_BY: Ginsan_

Jorowyn glared down at the stack of reports sitting on his desk. Endy needed to hurry the hell up and select the new Regional Governors for Earth already. Sure it had been amusing at first to be the de facto person in charge over the territories of the former Generals. Now it was just a pain in the ass. Especially since he actually had to work now.

He forced himself to work for most of an hour, before he'd finally had enough. Shoving the remaining paperwork to the side, he reached into the desk for a fresh flask. There was still some time before the meeting. Plenty of time to prowl through the palace for gossip and to alleviate his frustration.

Provided he could manage to avoid running into Diana that is.

Between his increasing responsibilities of rebuilding the Planetary Defenses, restarting the Crystech research, taking over the major responsibilities of the Generals and the mounting pressure for him to assume Pluto's throne, he just didn't have enough time for himself. Much less time for sorting out this mess with Diana.

Quite honestly, he was surprised that the incident a couple of weeks ago had been the only time he'd broken down. He suspected it had something to do with what was going on between himself and Diana, but he just didn't have the time he needed to investigate his suspicions. She deserved an honest answer from him, as well as to know what was really going on. He just wished he could give her one. His inability to discuss the matter with her had quickly turned things awkward between them. Eventually, he had decided it would be best to try and avoid her altogether until he sorted it all out.

Focused on his thoughts, he wasn't paying as much attention to his surroundings as he should have. As he passed by one of the smaller supply closets, an arm snaked out it's door and latched onto his collar. Before he had a chance to react, he had been pulled inside with the door locking a moment later. He spun around to come face to face with Diana, as she quickly took the key from the lock.

He stared down at her in surprise, and she glared back.

"You've been avoiding me."

"I've been busy."

"Bullshit. The only thing you've been busy with is ducking me for the last two weeks. Damn it, I thought we'd talked about this?"

He looked away from her guiltily, and fiddled with the door. Locked tight, and he knew it would make quite a bit of noise if he forced his way through it. He was going to have to get that key from her.

"Will you just talk to me already? Whatever it is you've been hiding, it's can't possibly be worth it. What could possibly be so damn important, that you'd let yourself get into such a state? Look at you. Can you even remember the last time you slept?"

He held back from laughing at that, and instead turned toward her with a bitter smile.

"Sleep? Sleep is for those who have the time for it. If you haven't noticed, we're not exactly at peace. Not yet. As it is, I barely have the time to attend to my duties. I can sleep all I want once I'm dead."

"Stop it. Stop talking like that. If your work is so damn consuming, then tell Endymion. Surely he can find someone to help you."

"Endymion has enough problems of his own to deal with. I won't bother him with mine."

"Fine, then at least let me help you. Talk to me, tell me what's wrong. At least let me try and help."

She had no idea how very tempting that was. Nor how dangerous. Trapped in this room, her scent was almost driving him mad. He had to get out of here.

He laughed harshly, then advanced on her, causing her to take a step back in the suddenly too small room.

"If you really want to help me so much, then give me the damn key."

"No."

"Give me the key, or I'll damn well take it from you."

"Talk to me. Then I'll give you the key."

He growled this time, gripping her by the shoulders and forcing her up against the wall.

"Give. Me. The. Damn. Key."

Touching her was a mistake. He could feel himself starting to loose control now. If only he hadn't been a damn fool, and had taken his transporter when he left his office.

She stared at him for a moment, emotions and thoughts warring within her. Finally, she straightened up, and looked him directly in the eye. Defiance glinted in her eyes. And something a little more . . . primal. It caused her to blush, as she uttered her next words, knowing the reaction they'd likely cause.

"If you want the key so much, you'll have to take it. Provided you can find it first."

With that, the last shred of his restraint snapped, and he was on her.

He pinned her against the wall, using his larger frame to hold her there as he leaned down toward her ear.

His voice was deep and husky when he spoke, sending an all too pleasant shiver down her spine.

"If that's how you want it."

He forced her head to the side, his lips sealing over the hollow just behind her ear. She hissed as he began nibbling his way down her neck. Her arms reached out and wrapped around his back to sink into the folds of his clothing, as he slowly traced his way from her neck and down her collarbone. She opened her mouth to offer at least a token protest, but all that came out was a moan of pleasure as he inexorably trailed his way to the top of her breasts. Meanwhile, his free hand had been busy with the laces on the front her her dress. With a triumphant smirk, he pulled back and replaced his hands on her shoulders.

"Let's just see what you're hiding here, shall we."

_Snip. See the author's page for details on how to receive this part of the story._

_End Snip_

He carefully let her down, laying her out across some linens hastily taken from a nearby shelf. While she lay there recovering, Jordan busied himself. He fumbled with the laces of his trousers, having already discarded his shirt. Diana was recovered enough by the time he finally got them undone and had started on his boots, that she was able to remember what all of this had been about originally.

She quickly grabbed her nearby dress, removing the key from a hidden pocket. She waved it lazily in his direction to get his attention as he worked at getting his last boot undone.

"You sure that's a good idea?"

He paused to look at her, then down at the key.

"Yes. I think it's an excellent idea. I'm not letting you have all the fun."

"Fine, but don't blame me when the King comes looking for you."

"Looking for me?'

"For the meeting."

"Meeting?"

"That starts in a few minutes. On the other side of the palace."

Her words finally sunk into his lust crazed mind, sobering him instantly. He snatched the key from her with a muffled oath, then quickly set about getting redressed. He managed it faster than she expected, rushing out the door and leaving her behind. Again.

A moment later though, she heard the door locked from the outside, then the key was pushed under the jamb.

* * *

Jorowyn fumed all the way to the meeting. That wench was driving him insane. He'd better find a solution to all this, or he'd be in real trouble very soon.

He'd barely stepped into the room before he was already spouting off to Endy, missing whatever they had been talking about when he'd entered, not wanting to give anyone an opening to try and pry.

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with me. I'm perfectly fine, _nothing_ is going on, so don't pester me about it."

He threw himself somewhat into a chair, unable to contain his agitation as Endymion focused on him.

"Nice of you to join us, Jorowyn,"

"Yeah, whatever," He hastily reached into a pocket for the fresh flask, and fumbled with the lid. "Just get on with it already,"

He took a long drink, draining half the flask in one go, trying to settle himself.

"Are his pants fastened this time, Endy?" His cousin was unable to contain his amusement as he continued. "Make sure he managed to do them up right this time. He was practically falling out of them the last time I saw him."

"Wait, you're telling me Jorowyn's been carrying on an affair?" Nephrite demanded then.

"I know, it's hard to believe. I cannot imagine what kind of woman would brave his drunken breath, but the images I'm coming up with aren't comforting."

He glared at his cousin, suddenly wishing he'd skipped out on this meeting after all.

"Ha, ha. At least I'm not too much of a coward to go bed my wife, Mr. Separate Bedrooms."

He grinned as his cousin squirmed as his own problem was uncomfortably brought to light. He was more than ready to defend him though, when Jadeite was amused by the situation.

"You've got no room to laugh, Gelding King. I don't even wanna hear it out of you."

Endymion cut off whatever response Jadeite might have made.

"Enough. I just mentioned that we'll be convening an official Alliance council in a few weeks. I hope to be able to announce the next Regent of Pluto there."

Definitely should have skipped this meeting.

"I've already told you no, Endymion. Leave it be."

Malachite shimmed in next, trying to guilt Jorowyn into it.

"You are the next heir to the throne, Jorowyn. You have a duty to that station."

Considering he'd already had a similar conversation with Diana, he was not ready to capitulate on so flimsy a point.

"I had a duty to a throne, once. It got _blown up. _Forgive me if I'm not terribly eager to go sit my ass in another one. One that, may I remind you, belongs to a planet of pretentious bastards who could've very easily altered one of the greatest tragedies our solar-system has ever seen and _didn't, _all on the account of some out-dated, ridiculous religion!"

A servant came into the room then, carrying a tray of refreshments. He ignored her as Endymion took his turn.

"We all have nothing but sympathy for what happened to Phaeton, Jorowyn, you know that. I also realize that you have made — and continue to make — several sacrifices on our behalf in order to keep things running smoothly. But I must ask you to make one more for me, old friend." Jorowyn squirmed in his seat as Diana's words from earlier came to mind. "Pluto cannot remain leaderless. It will be like a red flag to the remaining Youma, enticing them to try and take root there once more. I need someone strong in charge out there, Jorowyn. Someone I can trust to make sure that things are done right."

He stared down at the table for a long moment, scowling when he realized he really couldn't blame an entire planet for the faults of it's leader. No matter how badly he might want to. He looked up then, defeated, and pierced Endymion with his gaze.

"Fine, Endy. For you, I'll see to Pluto and its defenses. But I _will not take the throne._ I will _not_ be the next King of Pluto. I'll hold it in trust until Trista whelps herself a kid, but that's as far as I'll go. Do not ask any more than that of me."

Visibly releaved, Endymion relaxed, ignoring Jorowyn as he tried to recompose himself.

"I will see you all in a few weeks' time. I will be eager to see proof of this supposed heir that Mal has managed to breed with my own eyes." They all managed a chuckle at that one, grinning at Malachite. "I am very happy for you, my friend, though there were times in the past that I worried you wouldn't even know what to do with it when the time came..."

"Until the Council, my lord."

Jorowyn grinned again as Malachite cut the transmission.

"He almost had a sense of humor. I'm appalled."

Endymion chuckled at that, rising to his feet.

Jorowyn felt the emotions before the door slammed open, quickly forming a weapon to defend Endy encase it was an attack. He was momentarily startled, when it turned out to be the Queen, Diana, and a soldier from the Palace guard.

It took a few moments, but the story was told, and even Jorowyn found himself incensed. Apparently, his lack of attention lately had been worse than he thought, if this incident had slipped past him.

He gladly followed Endymion's order, knowing just the place to leave the vile little wench. She'd be safe enough, so long as she stayed where he told her once they arrived. If she actually left the safety of the caves. Well, that was her problem.

On the way back, he'd already started thinking up possibilities for restoring the precious artifact. And artifact it was. He recognized the skywood almost instantly. He cursed to himself as he realized that there was really only one option if he was to either get enough wood to repair it, or have someone else fix it.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's note: Sorry for all the grammar issues with this. I was under the mistaken impression that Lynnwood had actually caught them for me.

:P

All fixed, and re-uploaded. Next chapter will be up in a few days.

_Never Leave Jorowyn Alone_

_Chapter 9_

_BY: Ginsan_

It had taken a few hours, but Serenity was finally calmed down enough that Diana felt safe in leaving her. Curse that spiteful little wretch. If Jorowyn hadn't already dealt with the vile creature, she had a few ideas of her own for how to deal with her. At the thought of finding out just what Jorowyn had done to Celestine, Diana found herself heading toward his section of the palace. As she recalled what else had occurred earlier in the day, she felt the blush creep into her face and her footsteps faltered.

Perhaps it wouldn't be a good idea to try and talk to him again so soon. Deciding it would be better to talk to him later, she changed directions.

Distracted, she wasn't paying attention as she turned a corner and nearly collided with someone. They both jumped back, narrowly avoiding the mishap. The wings caught Diana's attention first. Smokey gray with blood red tips, they could only belong to one person.

"My apologies Lady Sharpe, I was distracted."

The small Phaetonian warrior chuckled, before shaking her head.

"My apologies as well, I was in rather a hurry. I'm looking for Prince Jorowyn. I had heard from the Techs that there was a commotion here in the palace earlier today that the Prince had to deal with, but they weren't sure if he had returned yet. I need to deliver the details of the security arrangements for his move to Pluto."

She might have been surprised that Lady Sharpe knew her name, if she wasn't still reacting to hearing that Jorowyn was moving to Pluto. When had this happened? He hadn't even said anything to her about it.

"N-no. I'm afraid I don't know. Excuse me, I have duties to tend to."

She rushed off, missing the calculation look the former general gave her retreating form.

* * *

Jorowyn was carefully removing crystals from the shelves in his office, and packing them when there was a knock on the door.

"My Prince. I have the details of your security arrangement."

He sighed, setting the crate down.

"And you felt the need to give me this information in person because...?"

"Because I will be leading the security detail of course."

"Of course. Well, make yourself useful then. Bring me one of those empty crates."

"Of course, Lord Jorowyn."

He fought back the retort. It just wasn't worth it. Not with her. He handed her the full crate, and took the empty one from her. He watched from the corner of his eye, as she carefully sealed it and activated the security lock.

"Just what else is this security detail going to entail?"

"Only a dozen or so handpicked soldiers. There will be an Honor Guard waiting on Pluto, headed by Thorne."

"Of course there will. The fact that I said I wanted this to be discrete was completely overlooked. Again."

She continued on, pretending not to have heard him.

"The Palace staff has already been informed, and quarters have been selected according to your specifications. Following your arrival, a Feast has been arranged in welcome."

Oh, if only he could kill with a look. Likely, there' be nothing left of Sharpe right now, but a few smoldering feathers.

"Again, I do believe I said, and I quote, 'No Fuss.' I wanted as few people to know about this as possible. At least not until Endymion gives the official notice."

"Oh, I don't see why. The Mauian I ran into in the hallway seemed rather excited at the news you were leaving."

"Diana? Why would she...?"

Caught off guard, Jorowyn jerked and turned to face her. And the grin plastered on her face.

"So, it is true then. I suspected it when I met her in the hallway. Lady Diana's reaction was most telling. As is yours my Prince."

Not even embers would be left.

"I have no problems with making our race extinct that much faster by killing you."

She raised her hands toward him, backing up slightly.

"Peace my Prince, I meant no disrespect. Now, or ever. I'm happy for you. It has been so long, and so many tragedies have occurred, Thorne and I feared you would never find a suitable mate."

He continued to debate the ethics of actually killing her in cold-blood. He was technically royalty. He could probably get away with it. Maybe. Hell, who was he kidding.

"If you breathe so much as a word of this..."

"Never Lord Jorowyn. You, better than anyone, should know that I would never reveal your secrets. You should go speak with your lady however. She did seem rather upset at the news of your departure."

"Which is why I didn't want anyone to know. I had planned to tell her." At Sharpe's raised eyebrow, he sighed. "Eventually."

"If you wish, I can continue to pack for you."

"No, I'd rather do this myself. It can wait anyway. I suggest you return to your quarters, and begin packing your own belongings." He pulled out his flask, frowning when he realized it was empty. "I'll go try and sort out this mess. Soon as I find the appropriate courage that is."

He fumbled around at his storage cabinet until he found an appropriate bottle. Sharpe looked on sadly, as he drained the bottle before leaving the office.

Now, if only they could get him to stop drinking.

* * *

It didn't take him long to find her. She was hiding in a secluded spot out in the gardens, a place she seemed to favor when brooding over something.

He paused behind the last hedge that was hiding her. Taking a deep breathe, and wishing for another bottle, he stepped out to face her. Even then, he was caught off guard when her tear filled eyes looked up at him.

"Go away and leave me alone you heartless bastard."

He flinched then, assaulted not only by her words, but also the sudden torrent of her emotions that he simply couldn't block out anymore. Anger, confusion, sadness, betrayal. Thank you so much Sharpe.

"I was planning on telling you."

"When? After you were already gone? I'm so tired of your lies."

She looked away from him then, but he could still see the tears.

"I'm telling you the truth. I was going to tell you. I'm not leaving for several days yet."

"Oh yes, days. Of course, you've probably known for weeks." He winced, literally feeling the heartbreak in her voice. "I'm just another game to you, aren't I?"

"Hellfires woman, do you have to be so damn stubborn? Your incessant nagging, and your singular ability to invade my every thought may drive me to the limits of my sanity, but you are certainly no game." He knelt next to her and gently gripped her chin, forcing her to turn and face him. "As for knowing when I was leaving, I've barely known longer than you have. I was forced into agreeing to it earlier today at the meeting with Endymion. If the mess caused by Celestine hadn't kept me occupied for the rest of the day, I would have informed you already."

"Assuming I believe a word of what you just said, what does that vile witch have to do with you telling me. You've been back in the palace for hours now."

"I can fix Serenity's armoire. I was discussing it with Endymion earlier." Surprise finally made her tears stop, and he could feel her hurt emotions lessen slightly. "I've been trying to think of other methods for doing so, but I only have once choice. Unfortunately, it involves my cousin."

"How can Zoisite help?"

He stood up then, nervously looking away from her.

"I meant my other cousin."

* * *

"You're going to come along with me no matter what I say, aren't you?"

They were in Jorowyn's Office as he toyed with a small, clear colored crystal and a larger green crystal. After hearing what he'd planned, Diana's curiosity won out over her hurt feelings over his leaving. Barely.

"And do you have any idea what her armoire is supposed to look like?"

"Ah, well, no..."

"Then it's settled. I'm going."

"You really do exist to make my life miserable."

"Someone has to make the sacrifice."

He glared at her, before putting away his Master Crystal, and handing her the smaller crystal.

"Ha ha. Stick this on your forehead."

"Why?"

"Because, we're going to need disguises. Your people have never been exactly common in our star system. I'd rather avoid questions about where you came from if we can help it. I already have one for me, and this one should work on you now."

"What's it do?"

He sighed in exasperation, before picking up a similar crystal, and pressing it to his own forehead.

"This."

She watched in amazement, as his hair changed color to a brilliant flame red, and his eyes became a deep purple. His face blurred slightly, smoothing out and becoming less angular. Even his clothes seemed to change, altering in style and color. If she hadn't seen it happen, she wouldn't even recognize him.

After a moment, she followed his example, and pressed the crystal to her own forehead.

He stared at her for a moment, before nodding in satisfaction.

"Good. Mine accentuates my Plutonian heritage. Yours will let you pass for a Lunarian." He frowned, noticing one tiny flaw. "We're going to have to do something about that tail..."

* * *

Diana fumed silently at Jorowyn as he removed the armoire from the Teleporter.

"It's not that far from here. We should be able to avoid anyone spotting us."

"Fates forbid that happens."

He ignored her as they moved down the hallways, pausing at each corner to make sure the way was clear. Angry as she was with him, she was surprised at how quickly and silently they managed to move through the Palace without actually running into anyone. No matter how short a time she'd have to live with it, having her tail bound for any amount of time was annoying, frustrating, and just painful enough to want to claw something. Again.

"We're here. Just need to slip around this next corner, and we'll be safe."

"Finally. Can we hurry this up."

"Relax. Once we get inside, you can let your tail loose while I force her to let me do this."

"She better. If I went through all this for nothing..."

"One way or another, we are getting her help. Just hang in there for a few more minutes."

They came around the last corner then stopped. Diana forgot about her tail for a moment, as she stared in awe. Jorowyn just grimaced as he went back over what he wanted to say in his head. Finally, he reached out to the scanner, placing his hand firmly on the globe. A moment later, the massive doors parted, and the Time Gate stood revealed.

"Here we go. Trista, come out. We have business to discuss."

His carefully worded speech, and it's thinly veiled words of guilt, completely left his mind as an elderly woman stepped forth from the Time Gate, gently smiling at the two of them. Though her hair was now a silvery gray, and her garnet-red eyes were sunken behind several layers of wrinkles, he eventually recognized his cousin.

"You got old..."

She smiled again, before stepping aside.

"It happens to us all in time. I know what brings you here, and what you've come to ask. Provided you both swear to the Chronal Laws, you have my blessing to use the Time Gate."

Jorowyn was literally at a loss for words. He knew he'd probably have to take the oath, but this?

"Why?"

"Many reasons. Which I can't reveal to you at this time."

"Of course you can't. No surprise. Fine. Tell her the Oath so we can swear by it, and get this over with."

"Step inside and we'll begin."


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter has taken so long. As I told Lynnwood earlier (I'd poke her with a sharp stick to get her writting again, if I wasn't afraid of her beating me to death with it, lol.), I haven't had writter's block, so much as a complete lack of anythign to write.

That, and the content is rather difficult to write, considering Jorowyn's past. Hope the chapter makes up for the long wait. Enjoy.

_Never Leave Jorowyn Alone_

_Chapter 9_

_BY: Ginsan_

As they tried to stealthily navigate their way through the Palace of Pluto, Diana was still a little confused. Yes, the Palace of 30 years ago was now in much better shape than the one they had just left, but it still felt the same. Very empty, and nearly deserted.

Ahead, Jorowyn suddenly stopped, causing her to run into him.

"Why'd you stop so suddenly."

He stood rigidly, and she could see the shiver run through him.

"The greatest evil the Universe has ever know has found us. I warn you now, she's two feet tall, sickenly adorable, and not nearly as innocent as she wants you to think."

Diana turned around in confusion, and spotted a little girl standing several feet behind them. She was wearing a dark purple dress with tiny little red ribbons decorating it. She was indeed about two feet tall, with gorgeous dark green hair nearly as long. She stared at them with wide-open eyes of a very familiar garnet color, while she sucked the thumb of one hand and the other trailed some sort of doll behind her.

Diana leaned back to whisper to Jorowyn. "Is that..."

"Yes. Trista."

"Wasn't she just an old lady..."

"That her was. This is the 'her' of 30 years ago."

"How does that work exactly?"

"It's complicated."

"What do we do?"

"Depends on her."

The girl continued to stare at them for several minutes, before she finally took her thumb out of her mouth.

"You were at the Time Gates."

Jorowyn frowned as he looked aorund to see if anyone else was nearby. There should have been some sort of minder watching over her...

"Yes, we were."

"Mommy and Daddy said it's forbden, forban, bad to go there. I'm gonna tell."

"If you were going to tell on us, you'd have done so already. What do you want."

She grinned, before holding her arms out.

"I am not picking you up."

She frowned, before she started sucking in air.

"You scream, how do you explain that you were at the Time Gate?"

She stopped midbreath, considering that.a moment, before eventually deflating. She glared at Jorowyn.

"You're mean."

"I know."

Diana smacked him, before squatting down to look at Trista.

"It's ok little one, he's a jerk. Why don't you tell me what you want, and we'll help you."

Trista stared at her suspisciously a moment, before holding her arms out again. Diana scooped her up, then turned back to Jorowyn.

"Was that really so hard to do?"

"Yes actually."

Diana rolled her eyes, before looking at Trista.

"OK sweetie, what can we do for you to keep us all out of trouble?"

"Help me find Daddy."

Jorowyn looked at her for a moment.

"Trista, how old are you?"

She thought about it really hard for a moment, before hold out all the fingers on her free hand.

"Mommy says I'm five."

Jorowyn sighed, before reaching over, and taking Trista from a confused Diana.

"How about we go find your Mommy instead."

"No! I want my Daddy."

"Trista, you know we can't do that."

Diana was starting to get an idea of what was going on, but hoping she was wrong.

"Yes you can. You came out of the Time Gate, I saw you. You can take me to Daddy!"

"You know it doesn't work like that."

"But you did it."

"We were given extra special permission. And we're not allowed to tell anyone about it."

Trista had already been tearing up, but now she couldn't hold it back, and was sobbing all over Jorowyn.

"But I want my Daddy back. I miss him. So does Mommy."

Jorowyn was silent for a moment, before gesturing for Diana to bring the Armoir, as he began walking through the Palace.

"I know it feels lonely without him around. I lost my Daddy a long time ago. I miss him every day."

"You do?"

"I do. I know it's hard without him around, but you know what?"

"What?"

"As long as you remember him, and love him, he's never really gone you know."

"He isn't?"

"As long as you keep him in your heart, he'll never be gone. But you have to remember something. If you're sad, you'll make him sad. You don't want that do you?"

"No..."

"You still have your Mommy. I bet the two of you have all kinds of stories you can tell each other to remember him."

"We could?"

"Of course you could."

"Can. Can we go to Mommy?"

"Of course. Do you know where she is right now?"

"In the library. She has lots of papers she has to play with all day."

"Ah, then I bet she'd love an excuse to do something else."

Within a few minutes, there were deep inside the Palace, and begining to get stares from passing servants and more than a few of the guards. Jordan stopped outside of the library, and set Trista down.

"Remember what I told you, and everything will be fine."

"Thank you mister."

"Run along to your Mom."

He watched her dissapear into the library, before turning around to a smirking Diana.

"Not a word."

"Awww, you're just a cuddly teddy bear."

He fumed all the way out of the Palace. They got out pretty quickly, now that the need for stealth was long gone.

And that was when Diana got her first look at Pluto.

Since no one on Pluto lived on the surface, and they had snuck in in the middle of the night, most of the illumination had been turned down. Now, however, they were walking in the middle of the day.

The cavern the Palace was located inside, and the rest of the capitol city for Pluto, was massive. Massive, and made entirely out of colored crystals. In fact, a majority of the buildings themselves appeared to made of crystals.

"Most of the cavern cities have crystal walls, but none are as big, or as perfect as this one. It's actually a nearly perfect dome. All the crystals on the inside were used as building materials, except for the Crystal Gardens. A little Crys-Tech was used to actually grow some of the buildings, but most of this was done by the Plutonians themselves."

"It's beautiful. Can we see the garden later?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because the Youma destroyed it when they attacked Pluto, and I don't want to be reminded of how much work I have ahead of me to fix it all."

Not sure how to respond to that, they traveled in silence the rest of the way to the Teleporter.

"Next stop, Hell."


	11. Chapter 11

Diana was momentarily blinded as she stepped from the murky twilight of Pluto, and into the brilliant sunlight of Phaeton.

"Over here, we'll be out of the way till your eyes adjust."

She felt a slight tug on her arm, and Jorowyn lead her off to the side, and out of the heavy flow of traffic to and from the Teleporters. She blinked her eyes for several minutes, before she could finally see again.

She couldn't see much, the space was crowded with buildings and Teleporters. In fact, she'd never seen so many Teleporters in once place before.

"They're permanently fixed to one of the planets. One for outgoing traffic, and one for Incoming traffic. The Royals may know next to nothing about each other, but merchants are another matter entirely. If they didn't know their potential client base, they'd never sell anything. See that one there?" He nodded his head toward a heavily robbed merchant who was pulling a cart with some sort of lacy material inside. "Mercurian taking home a shipment of Venusian silk veils. He'll sell them back home as bridal, or engagement veils, and make a small fortune."

"How do you know so much about merchants?"

"Merchant clans are a light like royalty. A lot of cross marriages, and alliances. In fact, some of them are royalty. Lesser nobles, or ones with so many older siblings, they'd never see a title for themselves. One of the smaller Phaetonian families happened to be off planet."

"Wait, if there was a family of Phaetonians traveling the System, how come I haven't heard about it?"

Jorowyn shrugged, as he started off down the street.

"Most of the family are technically off-worlders. Those who could claim to be from Phaeton, are branch nobility. Unfortunately for them, they lost the genetic lottery."

"Genetic Lottery?"

"Something that only happens among noble Phaetonians due to our slightly diluted blood. There's a good chance, if one of their parents is an off-worlder, that they won't have wings. Zoi is a good example. His mom was a pure-blood, but his dad was an Earthling."

"Then what about you? Your mom was from Pluto. What about your wings?"

He shrugged, pausing at an intersection to let a family pass.

"Never been very important to me."

"How could being able to fly not be important?"

"Flying won't exactly bring my Parents, or my planet back, will it?"

* * *

"Dalston moved his shop, where?"

"Sorry Sir, he moved to Vulkava. He had a sick relative."

"Thank you."

Jorowyn passed the kid a few coins, before going back across the street to the closed shop.

"Well?"

"He moved. We'll have to find someone else."

"Well, where did he move to. Maybe we can still ask him to repair it."

"It doesn't matter where he moved to, we'll find someone else. I think there was a carpenter named Fiero around here somewhere..."

"Where did he move to."

"Somewhere."

"Where?"

"Somewhere far, far away that will take too long to get to."

"Which is where?"

"Somewhere that's not here."

"Jorowyn. Where. Did. He. Move. To."

Jorowyn glared down at her, before slumping back against the building.

"He moved to a village called Vulkava. Which, we are not going anywhere near."

"What, or should I ask, who lives in Vulkava that has you so scared."

"Scared? Hah! Unimaginable terror is more like it."

"Who?"

"My Grandmother."

* * *

"I have no idea how you talked me into walking straight to my own execution, but welcome to Vulkava. Spiritual capitol of Phaeton, and the location of the Temple of Vulcan. Most of the population serves the temple, since only the Priests and Priestesses are actually allowed to live at the Temple. It's also the only city directly on the surface."

Diana looked out the window of the Skycrawler Jorowyn had rented. The view so far had been breathtaking. Blue-green sky as far as she could see, occasionally dotted with clouds, and the floating landmasses the Phaetonians lived on. This was much different.

The Temple of Vulcan was built on the peak of the tallest mountain on Phaeton. It's crystal spires stretching up into the clouds, refracting the sunlight, and changing the sky into a rainbow of brilliant colors. Below the Temple, she could just make out a small city sprawled out in a ring around the peak. And below that, the biggest trees she'd ever seen.

"No matter what, do not leave the city walls. Ever. It's not safe. There's a reason my ancestor's grew wings and lived among the clouds."

"So I'm stuck inside the city. Is there at least something to do?"

"You? You can go sight-seeing at the Temple if you want. Me, I'll be doing all the work."

"Ha ha."

"Do you know what Dalston looks like?"

"Um..."

"Exactly. Now, just need to land, and find a place to stay for a few days."

"This place doesn't look very big."

"It's bigger than it looks. More traffic than there should be though."

Jorowyn had to circle around the landing area a couple of times, before one of the crystals on the control panel lit up to tell him it was safe to land.

"Is it some sort of holiday?"

"No. We only had a few holidays, and I checked before we left Nexus. We'll just have to go see for ourselves."

He parked the Skycrawler in an empty hanger, then the two of them gathered their cargo, heading toward a crowd of people they spotted on the way down. Even as they approached, Jorowyn couldn't tell what was going on. Most were clearly Phaetonian, but there was a wide mixture of social classes as well, even among the few off-worlders.

And then he caught a glimpse of pale green hair.

"We have to go. Now. Back to the Skycrawler."

"What? Jorowyn, what's wrong?"

Even she could tell how badly shaken he was, as he tried to turn back the way they'd come, but his legs remained frozen in place.

"No, no, no. Not now, damn it. Not fair."

"Jorowyn?"

Worried, Diana looked around, trying to figure out what would cause the normally aloof Jorowyn to panic. Then she too spotted the green hair. And the familiar face it belong to.

"Isn't that... oh. Oh, Jorowyn. OK, we'll go."

Before she could get him moving, a figure dressed in white robes detached itself from the crowd, and walked over to them.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion travelers, but my Mistress requests that you attend her at the Temple. If you would please follow me this way, we can avoid the crowd.

"I'm sorry, but I think you have us mistaken for someone else. We're just merchants from Pluto. We don't even know anyone here."

"My apologies, but my Mistress described you perfectly. Any problems can be cleared up at the Temple. Please, I must insist we be moving along. The Venusian Prince, and King Coeus will be arriving shortly, and I don't think your Husband will want to be here when he does."

Jorowyn started cursing under his breath, his body shaking worse now.

"Damn it. Fine. I'll see the old hag. Anywhere is better than here."

"I will have to inform my mistress of such a disrespectful slur once we arrive."

"You do that."

* * *

"Jorowyn! What's going on?"

"Trista fucking tricked us is what's going on. We're smack dab in the middle of Prince Phoebus' tour of the Planets, before his wedding to the Queen. Which also means my parent's are here."

"Wait, Phoebus? As in..."

"Serenity's father. Yah. Starting to see why I don't trust the green-haired witch?"

"That's not nice. I'm sure she didn't realize what was going on before she sent us."

"Trust me, she knew exactly what was going on. She's the Gods Damned guardian of Time."

"You really don't like her, do you?"

"Considering the crap she conveniently forgets to tell people? No, no I don't like her."

"We're here. Miss, if you will please follow me, the Mistress would like to speak to your husband alone."

"Whoever is in there, please be nice. I'd rather not be stranded here."

"You'll be fine."

Jorowyn waited the two of them leave, before steeling himself to the confrontation awaiting him inside the next room. Well, he better go in, before she came out after him. She would too.

He took a deep breath, then shoved his way through the beaded curtain.

"OK you old bat, I'm here. What do you want?"

He never saw what hit him, but he could feel it as he stared up at the ceiling. He blinked a few times before sitting up. Sitting on a cushion across from him, was an older woman, with dark red hair, and a piercing set of green eyes.

"Just because I choose to worship our ancestor, instead of fiddling with toys, don't think your little toy can hide who you are from me young man. And you damn well better start showing some of the manners I know you were bred with. Will be bred with."

Jorowyn stared at her for a few minutes, his hand coming up to rub absently at his sore cheek.

"Just as spry as I remember you."

"Please, keep mouthing off to me. I'd be glad to make both sides of your face match."

"You're the cranky witch who ordered me up here. Thanks by the way."

"You have a very distasteful way of expressing your gratitude."

"Why don't we start with who you are, and then we can get to the part where you explain why I'm here."

"I'm the Head Priestess of Vulcan. As soon as you stepped foot off that Teleporter, I knew who you were, and where you're from. And when. Which is why I had you come here. So you wouldn't be tempted to speak with your parents, and change their fate."

Jorowyn stared at her in horror for a moment, before the rage boiled over, and he leaped to his feet.

"You heartless Bitch! You already know what's going to happen, and you won't even warn your son?"

"He already knows."

The rage suddenly left Jorowyn, and he collapsed back onto the cushion. He knew? He knew all along that Beryl was going to murder his planet and almost all of their people?

"What? How?"

"As soon as Vulcan showed me the vision, I informed him. As was my duty."

"Then why?"

"Just because one knows their end, doesn't mean one knows when the end will come."

"But he didn't even try to save us. He sent me to Earth with 2 bodyguards, a Scholar, and a handful of children. Why didn't he save more if he knew it was coming?"

"He's trying, believe me. But the Alliance will hear none of it. They claim Phaeton got themselves into this mess, we can get ourselves out of it. If your father tried to evacuate the entire planet at once, the Alliance would just send them back, or close off the Transporters."

"What about Earth? He could send more there."

"What sort of reaction do you think the Alliance would have to Earth suddenly being host to the entire population of Phaeton? They'd use it as an excuse to deal with Earth once and for all. No, I'm afraid our fate is sealed."

"And I'm just supposed to accept that? That our fates are set in stone, and there's nothing we can go to alter that? I'll be damned if I'm just going to sit back, and let others decide my future for me."

"And how's that working our for you so far?"

The rage was back with that one. He stood up, and stormed out of the room, ignoring the beads that broke, and spilled out over the floor.

He came across Diana having tea with the lesser Priestess.

"We're leaving."

"Jorowyn, is everything OK?"

"No, everything is not OK. Hence the leaving part."

He grabbed her by the elbow, dragging her from the room.

"You really should be nicer to your wife grandson. You'll find Dalston off the city square, taking care of his sister's children."


End file.
